Elizabeth Mitchell

Don't worry--she hasn't died. I was just watching Frequency, a 2000 film starring Jim Caviezel and Dennis Quaid, and I was wondering if I had seen the mom ("Jules") anywhere other than on Frequency. She looked somewhat familiar, but certainly I would remember that hot brunette if I saw her on something else, wouldn't I? It turns out that Jules is Juliet on Lost.

No wonder I didn't recognize the mom as Juliet. Their hair color is different! But another factor is this: I like the mom on Frequency, whereas I don't care too much for Juliet on Lost. The mom on Frequency was like a mom--caring, supportive to her husband and her kids, etc. She had a sassy Queens accent, which evokes for me "Catholic," "down-to-earth working class woman," and "baseball fan."

But Juliet on Lost is nothing like that! She always seems to have this smug look on her face. The Others in general are rather smug: they don't hesitate to use others when it suites their ends. And nothing appears to phase them: you can threaten their lives, and they have the same nonchalant, smug look on their face.

I often assume that liking a character is the same as liking the actor who plays him or her, and vice versa. But what happens when an actress plays two different roles: one of a person I like, and another of someone I dislike?